Will Smith was seen publicly for the first time since he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars after the comedian made a joke about his wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith. The actor, 53, was spotted in India on Saturday (April 23) when he arrived at his hotel in the city of Mumbai. Will was all smiles as he greeted onlookers, even stopping to take a few photos with fans, as seen in a video here. Will was staying at the JW Marriott Hotel in Juhu and would be leaving the city on the same day he arrived, according to The Hindustan Times.
Will’s brief getaway, which PEOPLE claims was for “spiritual purposes, to practice yoga and meditation”, comes just weeks after he was barred from the Oscars for 10 years for physically attacking Chris during the Academy Awards on March 27. The ruling came only days after Will had already resigned as a member of the Academy. In a statement obtained by HollywoodLife, the actor said he “betrayed the trust of the Academy” and is “heartbroken” over his actions. “My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable,” he added.
The social media mea culpa came a day after Will apologized for his actions to his fellow nominees and the Academy during his Oscar acceptance speech. Will had won Best Actor for King Richard less than an hour after the infamous slap. Yet Will didn’t mention Chris by name in the speech. Chris — who is reportedly not pressing charges against Will at this time — has yet to make a statement on the incident.
Earlier this week, Jada opened the new season of her popular Facebook show Red Table Talk by appearing to reference the Oscars incident. “Considering all that has happened in the last few weeks, the Smith family has been focusing on deep healing,” a message on a black screen read. “Some of the discoveries around our healing will be shared at the table when the time calls.”